Two Wolverhampton tips to cut hours during the summer

The centres in Wolverhampton will continue with their winter opening hours while council bosses decide on new opening times.

And there are fears that it will lead to job loses.

From October to March, the centres in Anchor Lane, Lanesfield and Shaw Road in Bushbury, cut back on opening hourse due to the dark winter nights and poor weather.

But it was announced today that those opening hours would continue throughout the summer as Wolverhampton City Council conduct a review.

The Lanesfield centre will close on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, while the Bushbury tip will close on Thursdays and Fridays.

Weekend opening times stay the same, but midweek, the centres will close at 6pm instead of 8pm.

Paul Brown, a spokesman for Wolverhampton City Council, said: "We are continuing to operate winter opening hours at the two household waste recycling centres while we complete a review of summer opening hours to ensure that they meet customer demand."

The decision has been branded ludicrous by opposition councillors, who said it could lead to more fly-tipping in the city.

Bushbury North Councillor Neville Patten said: "My view on this is I don't see why they should shut for two days during the winter in the first place.

"If it stays that way people could lose their job.

"There are a lot of people, especially in my area, who were taking their rubbish to the tip during the winter but having to bring it back because it was closed.

"This is a council that has supposedly won awards for their recycling.

"They should have another look at what they are doing because there will be extra fly-tipping if this is the case."

Wendy Thompson, city councillor for Tettenhall Wightwick, said: "We have residents who do a lot of gardening and the tip is extremely useful.

"For people that are working it is going to be very unhelpful. Council tax is rising in Wolverhampton and people are getting reduced services.

"I already have plenty of people complaining to me about the centres anyway."

It was announced earlier this year that 31 recycling sites in the city would be closed as part of the £123 million savings the council needs to make.

All 31 of the so-called 'bring sites' currently located outside pubs, supermarkets, shops and other public premises were scrapped on March 31.

Council bosses said the move would help save £110,000.

They said the recycling bins, many of which have been in place since the 1990s, are underused and have become 'redundant' thanks to kerbside recycling.

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